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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24359938">The Pains of Immortality</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Totally_Not_Hamabi/pseuds/Totally_Not_Hamabi'>Totally_Not_Hamabi</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Cat Returns Oneshots and others [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Neko no Ongaeshi | The Cat Returns</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:54:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,851</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24359938</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Totally_Not_Hamabi/pseuds/Totally_Not_Hamabi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Bureau is faced with a new case: a dragon in need.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Baron Humbert von Gikkingen/Yoshioka Haru</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Cat Returns Oneshots and others [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1740934</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catsafari/gifts">Catsafari</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Please enjoy this chapter! The next will hopefully be posted by tomorrow. I encourage you to tell me what you thought in the comments, since it keeps me up to date with what the audience thinks :)<br/>(inspired by Catsafari's "For Good")</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Marian had been fifteen when she last saw the dragon whom she had once called a friend. Who had saved her life and brought her back to her own world before she was doomed to get trapped in, forget herself and eventually dissolve into dust, despite his own risks of entering her own.<br/>
Three years. She had returned to her normal life (hadn't that been what she had fought for all along?), but there was a constant worry at the back of her head.<br/>
How was her draconian friend faring? </p><p>And then she heard of The Cat Bureau, a group determined to helping those in need, and she knew that this was her chance to help the suffering dragon.</p><p>She was just a young woman born into an Arabic family, with a close-shaven head and who did voluntary work at the local police station-- and who was craving an adventure like the one she had had three years ago. And she knew that it was time to return the debt to her friend.</p><p> </p><p>"Oi, Baron, pass me that cake?" </p><p>"Are you far too heavy to get it yourself?" </p><p>"Shut ye beak, Birdbrain."</p><p>"You really have to find some new insults." Toto raised the closest thing he had to eyebrows and shook his head. "Really. It's getting old now."</p><p>"Says the 100 year old gargoyle," Muta snapped back as Baron passed him a generous slice of cake. It was gone within minutes.</p><p>"Are you two going to ever quarrel about something else other than food and verbal abuse?" Haru asked them, looking up from the book she was currently reading. She was now able to fit comfortably due to a new spell the Sanctuary had somehow acquired, and now instead of only getting a gulp of tea she could properly enjoy Baron's blends. There was a huge difference between being human sized and Bureau sized.</p><p>"Ask the lardball." Toto cawed, motioning to Muta with a wing. Before Muta was able to snap something back, the vinyl player suddenly sprung into action. The Bureau's attention was shifted onto a quiet voice that came out instead of the soft piano melodies that had currently been playing.</p><p>"Uh, I don't know exactly how this works, so, uh, hopefully you are hearing me now." the voice said. Baron was swift to turn the volume up. "My name is Marian al Gibran Dharsi and I need the Cat Bureau's help. I repeat, I need the Cat Bureau's help. Huh, I might as well be kidding myself." there was a pause. "Please help me." the message abruptly ended. Baron stood up and replayed the message, listening with a thoughtful look.</p><p>"We should be able to track the caller down," he said as the message ended once more.</p><p> </p><p>Marian felt a little stupid, standing at her kitchen counter. She hoped with all her strength that the Cat Bureau (whoever they would be) could have heard her message. She repeated twice more just to be sure, her heart rapidly beating.</p><p>"My name is Marian al Gibran Dharsi," she said, "and I need the Cat Bureau's help. I repeat, I need the--" in that moment, there was a flash of light coming from behind her. She cried out, turning to watch a big, circle thing filled with a sea of swirling blue and white light grow into existence in the middle of her kitchen. She backed away from it, shielding her eyes with her arms. And then, she heard a loud crash and a cry of indignance. She uncovered her eyes and watched as a crow flew from inside the circle after a fat feline that had been thrown against her pans. It hissed in annoyance as a third person, this one a teenager who looked Japanese, with short brown hair and eyes and a blue t-shirt with jeans to match. The circle begun to shrink, but not before a fourth creature jumped out. </p><p>She had seen enough creatures to not be surprised to see a one-foot high half-cat dressed in a light grey suit and a top hat.</p><p>"Are you…?" she asked as the circle vanished, stepping forward. The girl, who had fallen flat on her stomach, slowly got to her feet.</p><p>"Ugh. I don't think I will ever get used to portals." she mumbled. Marian frowned. When she had heard about the Cat Bureau, she hadn't thought the name was literal.</p><p>"Um, are you the Cat Bureau?" she asked cautiously.</p><p>"No," the fat cat drawled, "we are Santa's freaking elves."</p><p>"Muta. That is a rood way to greet one of our costumers." the half cat told the fat feline, who snorted and pulled himself from under the pans. The gentlecat turned to Marian and bowed in a very old-fashioned way, taking off his hat and all that. "Miss Marian, we are the Cat Bureau. I am Baron Humbert von Gikkingen, that's Muta, the crow is Toto, and This is Haru Yoshioka, our newest member. We received your distress call." </p><p>Marian was impressed. "It was that quick?" </p><p>"You lived nearby, so it didn't take much time to track down your location." The crow cawed. Marian was unsurprised as well by this. She had met a talking dragon, after all.</p><p>"Well, I am glad that you heard me. An old friend of mine might need help." Marian said. </p><p>"How do we help?" Baron asked.</p><p>"I am not sure. But if you see him, perhaps you might find a way to do so." Marian said hopefully. The Bureau exchanged looks.</p><p>"And who is this person we are speaking about?" Toto asked. Marian chuckled.</p><p>"He's not exactly a… person. I mean, he's stuck with a curse that doesn't allow him to shapeshift into his human form But he's mostly known as a dragon." Marian explained, scratching her head.</p><p>"And how do we get to him?" Haru asked, surprising Marian.</p><p>"Wait a second... you don't think I am lying about it?" she asked.</p><p>"Why would we?" Haru asked, the others echoing similar words.</p><p>"Oh. Well, no one believed me when I told them I had found a new world hidden inside a clock." Marian said.</p><p>"A clock?" Baron asked. </p><p>"Yes. But I haven't been able to get back in the last three years." Marian said.</p><p>"Are you in possession of this clock?" Baron asked.</p><p>"Yeah. If you will follow me, I will show it to you." Marian turned and opened the door, walking into a living area. There was a rectangle shaped coffee table, and instead of couches there were three red and silver colored mattress-like couches. There was a set of tea on the table, made of a bronze kind of metal. Marian led them up to a big grandfather clock sitting in a corner, bathed in the afternoon light. It was beautiful; the wood was smooth oak, and the top of the clock face's borders had been adorned with an european kind if dragon, it's body carved from wood, but the scales studded with small ruby particles. The eyes were made with a glittering piece of agate, and the wings were closely tucked to it's thin body. On the other side of the clock was another dragon, but this one was studded with glittering rosy, quartz bits, it's eyes made with a saphire bit. It was as if the dragons were chasing after one another, frozen in movement. Marian absently brought a finger to touch the red dragon's scaled side.</p><p>The clock's body was carved with winding vines, a few stones studed here and there to make it shine a little. The clock face had been carefully painted, half of it a sun, and half a moon. The numbers seemed to have been made with black tourmaline.</p><p>"It's a beautiful clock." Haru said, moving to stand next to the other woman. </p><p>"Haru? Could you give me a lift?" Baron asked from the floor. Haru bent down and held out her arm. He easily jumped on it and moved to stand on her shoulder. When Haru straitened, he was already studying the clock.</p><p>"This was made with a great deal of patience, time and love." the creation observed. "I wouldn't be surprised if it proved to be a creation." One of his gloved hands brushed over the pink/white dragon's eye and suddenly the crystals on the clock began to glow. Marian gasped.</p><p>"It's awake!" she exclaimed excitedly. "It did the same thing for me when I first went in!" A light was shining in the clock's interior. They backed away and watched as the dragons slowly unfurled their wings, making cracking noises as they did. The clock's numbers began to glow as the dragons began to fly round and round it, the light growing brighter.</p><p>"It's going to suck us in!" Marian yelped, taking a step back as the clock face suddenly began to turn into a slowly growing portal. It soon began to make a sucking noise as the wind picked up, the lamp on the ceiling flickering. There was a yowl and Muta went flying in. Next went Toto with a surprised caw. Baron held tightly onto Haru; the portal begun to grow even bigger,and then the wind finally pushed them in. It was an explosion of lights, purples, blues, whites and even lime greens flashing around them. Haru found that she had grabbed Baron from her shoulder before he managed to slip off. He shouted something that sounded like a 'Thank You', but Haru wasn't abke to hear it over the blowing wind around her. A light, a great, blinding light, forced her to close her eyes. She felt herself being thrown from the portal. She felt a familiar arm wrap around her waist before she hit, freezing cold water. It was a momental shock to her body, but almost immediately the hand was pulling her. She kicked her feet and swam upwards towards the light.</p><p>Her head broke through the surface and she gasped for air, blinking water from her eyes. Everything was blurry. She couldn't hear so well. </p><p>"Haru?" that was Baron. He looked like he was now human sized. "Are you okay?" she nodded, wiping the water from her eyes and coughing.</p><p>"I'm fine." she managed to say. Baron helped her across the water, and soon they found the shore. Marian was already by the shore, and so were Muta and Toto. They were inside what seemed to be a dark, underground lake, the only light being the glow worms on the ceiling and the portal floating above the water. Baron and Haru hauled themselves out of the cold water, the latter shivering. Marian looked excited.</p><p>"I haven't seen this place in three years." she said with a smile.</p><p>"Not the best first impression," Muta said, shaking his sodden fur. He then looked at the portal, which had began to shrink. "And how will we get back?"</p><p>"I have a little portal magic reserved just in case this would happen. I will be able to reopen the portal once this case is solved." Baron said, straightening himself. Marian frowned.</p><p>"I thought you were smaller." she said.</p><p>"World alterations, Miss Marian. That's why you will find that Muta and Toto are... bigger than usual." Haru looked at the other two members, wondering how she hadn't noticed before. Marian nodded.</p><p>"Okay. Cool." she said.</p><p>"Is this were your dragon friend lives?" Baron asked.</p><p>"Yep. But it's kind of a long walk from here and we might have to take the river at some point." she nodded at the water. Muta groaned.</p><p>"In that case, we should get going." Baron said. He shook the last of the water off his tawny fur, saw that there was nothing to be done about his clothes, and then began to walk close to the river side. The others followed after.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Oops. This chapter came in later than expected. My apologies :(</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Marian's breathing was hitched. They had been walking for longer than an hour, following the underground river. Her legs ached, and her pants were dripping with water from the time they had had to wade through the river to get to dry land. The only ones who didn't look tired were Toto and Baron. Muta had been complaining ever since they had had to go into the water, and Haru seemed to look just as tired as Marian felt. The older woman couldn't blame either of them.</p><p>"Did you have to walk for this long when you first got here?" Muta asked her, walking on all fours beside her. She was used to normal sized cats, but the talking feline stood even higher than her. </p><p>"I'm not exactly sure, but I think I walked for a lot more time than now." Marian replied, stepping over a large stone. Muta groaned. "I feel you, cat. I really do. My joints are not what they used to be."</p><p>"According to the timeline, you were fifteen. And that was only three years ago, kid." Muta said, flickering an ear. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Three years ago. That's how long it had been since the last time Ruby had gotten any visitors. He didn't care too much... or at least, that's what he tried to tell himself. He was fine by himself. There was no need to worry about others and their Mayfly lifespan. There was no need to worry that he would outlive everyone he ever met if he didn't meet anyone. He wouldn't have to tear himself from someone he cared about. </p><p>And yet... and yet, he couldn't stop thinking about the laughs and the smaller moments he had shared with that human who had arrived at his cave all those years ago. Marian. He couldn't forget her and it pained him to know that while he would go on living, she would be growing older and older. He would be stuck the same as ever. </p><p>That was the great pain of being immortal. That while he lived on and on, everyone else would come and go into death's open arms.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Hang on... I remember this." Marian stepped out of the water and onto a small strip of shore. It was a mark on the stone, the inside glowing brightly. She peered closer and found the small minerals she had seen all those years ago on her first visit. She turned to the Bureau. "We are getting close." </p><p>"What is that?" Haru asked, looking at the shiny stones inside the wall. Baron was quick to join them.</p><p>"A strange combination of emerald and lapis lazuli." he said, peering at the shining gems.</p><p>"Interesting." Marian said, stepping back into the water to continue up the river stream.</p><p> </p><p>Ruby let out a tired sigh and he heard the clink of gold as a few coins fell from the pile. That was the only sound he could hear other than his own breathing and the dripping of water coming from the small stream that passed by the cavern. That was the only sounds he had heard ever since the last time he ever left his cavern's walls. That was it.</p><p> </p><p>"I think we are close by now." Marian said, stepping out of the water and onto a small rock island. She looked up at the many glowworms on the ceiling, each shining like stars. She felt like she had been a fifteen year old girl only a day ago, alone and scared, absolutely unaware of the beast that awaited. Toto soared down and landed on a protruding stone pillar in the water. He was <em>much</em> bigger than the average crow. <em>MUCH</em> bigger.</p><p>"When will we get there?" he cawed.</p><p>"Only a little longer. I expect we are only minutes away from the dragon." Baron answered.</p><p>"How do you know?" Marian asked him.</p><p>"I can feel its magic. Its faint for now, but it will eventually get stronger the closer we get to him." Baron explained.</p><p>"You sure he won't turn us into barbecue?" Haru panted, dragging herself onto the small island Marian stood on and plumping down with her feet in the water.</p><p>"I think he will remember me." Marian replied, sure of it. He <em>had</em> to. He couldn't have forgotten.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Ruby hadn't forgotten at all. Not one bit. He missed her and yet he wished he had never met her. He always got a little pain inside his chest as he thought of her- the kind human. But she would be dead soon. He couldn't allow himself to think of her or then he would suffer. And yet... He turned his head an inch and coins went cascading, some of them into the river. He didn't care. He had more treasure than a dragon his size could hope for... but he would exchange it all for some company. If only he wasn't immortal...</p><p> </p><p>The Bureau and Marian froze. There was a weird sound, like things splashing into the water and little clinking noises.</p><p>"That's him." Marian whispered. "He's here." </p><p>"Let's go." Baron said, walking out onto another strip of land in the water and heading forward. The others followed, Marian hurrying up to walk just behind him beside Haru. The brunette gave her a reassuring smile that she weakly returned. They turned a corner and found themselves standing at the top of a small cliff, the water falling in a waterfall. In front of them was a great, big cavern filled with all kinds of riches. Golden coins, silver plates, precious stones... But no dragon in sight.</p><p>"Where is he?" Muta asked loudly. "I thought you said there was a dragon here."</p><p>"And there is. I'm sure of it. And don't attempt to steal any of the treasure. It's cursed." she added.</p><p>"Did the dragon tell you that or-?" Toto began to say, but Marian cut in.</p><p>"I took some and it nearly killed me." she said with a shrug. She began to climb down the small cliff, easily hooking her hands of small holes on the stone to lower herself down. Toto took flight, grabbing Muta's scruff as he went. The cat yowled in shock to see his paws leave the ground, but Toto was quick and he was back on the ground, this time at the bottom of the cliff, before he could call the crow</p><p>"Birdbrain".</p><p>"Do you need any assistance, Miss Haru?" Baron asked, turning to the brunette.</p><p>She waved a hand. "I think I can manage." she said. After all, the climb down looked fairly easy. She lowered herself down and began her descent to the ground. Baron was quick to follow, nimbly climbing down. The creation jumped off halfway through and landed on his two feet neatly. He looked around him, ears twitching. There didn't seem to be a sight of the dragon, but there was cursed magic rolling off the riches in waves.</p><p>"What does the curse do to you?" he asked Marian as she jumped the last few meters down.</p><p>"I'm not exactly sure. But apparently, it seems to slowly drive you mad. Ruby- the dragon- is the one who guards it." Marian explained, dusting her hands.</p><p>"Look, Birdbrain!" Muta said, pulling a golden rooster from a pile of coins, "It's your dear brother!"</p><p>"Muta, I wouldn't touch it if I were you." Baron warned as he helped Haru down.</p><p>Marian noticed a weird shine coming off near them. It didn't look like it was being made by a normal gem or another kind of item. She frowned, slowly walking forward to stand in front of a huge pile of coins. The shine was coming from inside it. The Bureau turned to her as she brushed a few coins away, and then began to uncover the entire thing. It was agate, a massive piece of agate hidden inside the pile. Marian continued to uncover it, but it was a lot bigger than she had expected. Soon, she was standing in front of something that looked like...</p><p>"That's an eye." Haru said, walking to stand beside Marian. She brushed away to expose some shining ruby red....</p><p>"And those are scales." Marian breathed. She began to hastily wipe the coins away, uncovering more and more. The scales seemed to be made out of solid ruby. Soon Baron was at their side, inspecting the agate.</p><p>"I believe that your friend the dragon is actually a Creation." he said. Now he could see that if he stood back to follow the lines which looked like its neck, the continued to stretch out around them under the coins, forming an open circle. As if the dragon had somehow curled up under the coins in its inanimate form. He wondered why he hadn't felt the creation magic before, but he guessed that the curses magic it was mixed with had somehow covered it up. None of them noticed the eye shimmer.</p><p>"How do we awake him?" Marian asked.</p><p>"Weren't you the one who came here before us?" Muta asked her.</p><p>"Yeah, but, you know, he was already awake." she retorted.</p><p>"Now, let's not loose our patience." Baron said, but Toto was already replying to Muta.</p><p>"How about I pick you up and drop you on his head?"</p><p>"I swear that if you do that I will-" but no one got to hear what Muta would do. There was a deep rumble that made them all jump. Coins were beginning to fall around them as the Creation's neck slowly rised up, the great eyes glinting with life and the red scales shining in the dim firelight. The dragon yawned wide, exposing huge, wicked teeth and a forked tongue. All around them, coins and other riches were falling as the dragon slowly woke up. Soon, the ruby scaled beast was up, a few stray items falling off its back as it spread its long, bat-like wings, stretching them before folding them once more.</p><p>Then it looked down at the newcomers. "Are you going to give me an explanation of your being here?" he said in a somehow pleasant voice. Baron was the first to recompose himself. He stepped forward, tipping his top hat in a bow.</p><p>"Sir dragon, we are the Cat Bureau." he said. The dragon tilted his head.</p><p>"Are you a creation as well? I can smell the magic rolling off you in waves." he said, flexing one of its talons.</p><p>"I am, as well as Toto." Baron said, gesturing to the crow, "But we have pressing matters. An old friend of yours sent-"</p><p>"An old friend?" the dragon echoed. Baron didn't seem pleased to have gotten interrupted, but he nodded. The dragon laughed, bending down to lie on its stomach, front legs folded. "An old friend? I don't have friends, I'm afraid. Perhaps you've come to the wrong dragon."</p><p>"Then you don't recognize the name Marian al Gibran Dharsi?" Marian stepped forward to stand in front of Baron, looking up at the dragon.</p><p>There was a silent pause. "Marian?" the dragon's face twisted from calm to angry. "What are you doing here? You- you should be in your world! I thought I had shut the portal for good-"</p><p>"You shut the portal?" Marian interrupted.</p><p>The dragon adverted his gaze with a guilty air. "So you would be safe." he said.</p><p>"No, not only because of that. This is the reason why I have brought the Bureau along, Ruby. You are suffering!"</p><p>"I suffer more when I attach myself to new people." Ruby growled, eyes snapping back to Marian. "You mortals- your lifespans compared to mine are like that of a Mayflies! I am better off than watching everyone and everything die off around me."</p><p>"You don't know that." Toto piped up. "Baron and I are also immortal."</p><p>"So?" Ruby's eyes snapped onto the crow, who was dwarfed in comparison to the great beast before them. "So? You may be able to go around and meet new people and all that, but I am distancing myself from a terrible pain. Both of you know that human," he nodded at Haru, "but one day she will be claimed by death and you will have to live on knowing that you will watch everyone around you die."</p><p>"How do you even know if I am a mortal?" Haru snapped, seeing the flash in Toto's eyes and imagining it in Baron's.</p><p>"Well, are you?" the dragon responded. Haru fell silent and the dragon puffed out a cloud of smoke. "I thought so."</p><p>"Being immortal is not that bad." Baron suddenly said. The dragon snorted.</p><p>"Give me a reason why and perhaps I will believe it." he purred, smoke slowly pouring from his snout. Baron looked at the Bureau behind him and then back at the creature in front of him, his orange eyes set on the Cat Creation and waiting for a reason.</p><p>"Just because you outlive everyone else, it doesn't mean that you have to shut yourself away from the world." Baron said. "It darkens your soul. Your immortality will be gone- along with your will to live." Ruby's jaws didn't open, so the creation carefully continued, picking his words with care. "I know that being immortal is tough. You will find someone you will dearly love, you will form a bond... and then that person will be gone. I know it's not an easy thing, to let go of someone close to you. It hurts."</p><p>"That's what I keep myself away from, Gikkingen. I keep myself away from those dark emotions. I keep myself well and alive." Ruby said, tilting his head down. But Haru didn't miss the dim flash of uncertainty in his eyes.</p><p>"You keep yourself alive, sure, but you will wither away if you loose your will." Baron said, placing both hands on his cane and looking up at the dragon with sad eyes. "It's not a brief pain. It slowly destroys you."</p><p>"Are you claiming that loosing someone isn't painful?" the dragon growled. "That I haven't gone through this ages before?"</p><p>"Are you speaking about Moonstone?" Marian suddenly intervened.</p><p>Ruby's gaze snapped to her. "How do you know about her?" he asked, neck bending down so that his head was only a couple of meters away from Marian.</p><p>"She was the spirit that guided me back to the human world when I had to cross the mountain without you." Marian said, remembering how it had rained while they had both given their temporary goodbyes, and how it had been filled with mist, the pearl white dragon leading her along, away from the dangerous spots.</p><p>"Why didn't you tell me before?" Ruby asked in a hurt voice. Marian looked down guiltily.</p><p>"I realized later on when I returned to my home and saw the grandfather clock." she explained.</p><p>"So she really is gone." Ruby let his head drop on the ground before them, the pile of coins under it clinking against his scales. The dragon's eyes shut and the scales glimmered. Baron knew that the dragon was retreating into its inanimate form once more. To escape the pain.</p><p>And Baron was <em>not</em> going to have none of that.</p><p>He strode forward and tapped the dragon's snout with the end of his cane. "You can't leave all that pain holed up inside you. It's already destroying you!" The Creation said, brushing a fingertip on one of the scales. A fine dust came out of it, reminding Baron of blood. The Creation grimaced, wiping it away on his trousers. "Do you hear me? Your own magic is beginning to leave you! Can't you feel it?" Ruby could feel it. He could feel his scales crumbling, bit by bit, into dust. Each passing day, each breath he took and released, seemed to get harder. He knew his magic was leaving him. He knew that he wouldn't last longer than a year. The dragon forced his eyes to open, snapping out of his inanimate form.</p><p>"Just... just leave." the dragon murmured. "I don't stand myself anymore. I'd rather be free with Moonstone."</p><p>"So you are just going to neglect your magic and life?" Toto hopped over, a serious look on the avian face. "I wanted to do that once as well. I learned better. Perhaps... perhaps your purpose as a Creation is not right."</p><p>"What does my purpose have to do with any of this?" Ruby asked, in an annoyed manner.</p><p>"If you change your purpose, perhaps you will change your actitude towards your life." the crow explained, "Perhaps being a treasure's guard is not enough. Or not good enough, at least."</p><p>"Birdbrain, even I don't see where you are going." Muta said, earning himself a dirty look from the crow.</p><p>"Get a new purpose. That's what I mean." Toto said.</p><p>A Week later...</p><p>"Case solved." Baron said, snapping the folder he had been writing on shut. Haru looked up from her homework (a book report on 'Howl's Moving Castle') and smiled.</p><p>"Do you think Marian will be able to cope with a dragon living in her house?" she asked.</p><p>"He's miniature, remember?" Muta said from his post beside the window.</p><p>"Sure, but we don't know if he can set things on fire-" Haru said, but Muta snorted.</p><p>"Gee, Chicky, cool down. I'm sure they will be absolutely fine." </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I am actually doing a book report now XD</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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